NCAA.org - The Official Site of the NCAA - Franklin Collegehttp://www.ncaa.org/member-schools/franklin-college
enFriends of the Courthttp://www.ncaa.org/champion/friends-court
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden component__content--wysiwyg"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><figure class="media media-element-container media--view-mode--media_original"><img height="675" width="1200" style="width: 100%; height: 100%;" class="media-element file-media-original" alt="" title="" typeof="foaf:Image" src="/sites/default/files/SL_Grandparents3.JPG" /><figcaption class="field-item field field-name-field-description-caption field-type-text-long field-label-hidden even">The Grizzly Grandparents group at Franklin has grown so large that even coaches and the team manager are paired with residents of a nearby assisted-living facility. RENEE KNIGHT / FRANKLIN COLLEGE PHOTO</figcaption></figure></p>
<p>So 50 grandparents walk into a gym …</p>
<p>That isn’t a setup to a bad joke: It’s the scene that happens when the Franklin College women’s basketball team takes the court. At road games, heads turn and a relative hush falls over the crowd. Bemused, the home team slows its warm-up, sometimes stopping altogether, as opposing players watch dozens of people – some with canes, many white-haired, all clad in gold – amble in and make their way to seats just behind the Grizzlies’ bench, ready to taunt and cheer and wave pompoms like they are in high school again.</p>
<p>Franklin’s most reliable fans, dubbed the Grizzly Grandparents, range in age from their late 50s all the way to 105-year-old John Adolph, who arrives at games in a wheelchair. Armed with stuffed grizzlies, personalized cheers and unwavering support for the team, the group can be counted on to be at every home game and a few road games.</p>
<p>Their devotion, in part, has helped the team’s attendance swell: Last season, Franklin drew the second-largest average home crowds (880) in Division III women’s basketball.</p>
<p>“If we’re in a huddle, the Grizzly Grandparents are leaning over the bench right there in the huddle with us,” Franklin coach Dana Haggenjos says. “It’s refreshing to know you have that kind of support.”</p>
<p>The Grizzly Grandparents group, started in 2007, was the brainchild of 87-year-old retired Marine Fuz Waskom and former Franklin women’s basketball coach Kim Eiler. The two came up with the idea that residents of the Indiana Masonic Home, an assisted-living and nursing home a half-mile from the college’s Spurlock Center, would become the team’s most vociferous supporters.</p>
<p>The details? Each Grizzly Grandparent would “adopt” a player and commit to supporting her throughout the season. At first, there were barely enough Grandparents to pair with each player on the team, but the program’s ranks have swelled to more than 50.</p>
<p>Junior forward Sarah Taylor’s Grizzly Grandparents, Fred and Fran Carter, have become like another set of real grandparents; birthday cards and home-cooked meals have become the norm. The Carters have even joined Taylor’s family for a few dinners out. She says the experience has been an unexpected highlight of her time on the team.</p>
<p>“They keep our spirits high,” Taylor says.</p>
<p>During a game against Anderson University (Indiana) last season, Taylor absorbed a blow from an opponent that drew blood, but the referee called no foul. As she recovered, she heard one voice above the crowd.</p>
<p>“Hey, that’s a foul!” Fred Carter screamed. “That’s my granddaughter!”</p>
</div></div></div><ul class="tags__listing"><li class="tags__item"><a href="/content-categories/champion/campus" class="tags__link">On Campus</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/d3" class="tags__link">Division III</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/themes/topics/champion-magazine" class="tags__link">Champion Magazine</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/themes-topics/winter-2016" class="tags__link">Winter 2016</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/member-schools/franklin-college" class="tags__link">Franklin College</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/sports/womens-basketball" class="tags__link">Women&#039;s Basketball</a></li></ul>Wed, 13 Jan 2016 15:00:00 +0000smeyers@ncaa.org14211 at http://www.ncaa.orghttp://www.ncaa.org/champion/friends-court#commentsCollege players celebrate National Student-Athlete Dayhttp://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/college-players-celebrate-national-student-athlete-day
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden component__content--wysiwyg"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>NCAA student-athletes representing Indiana colleges and universities will participate in a community outreach initiative and celebrate their peers as part of National Student-Athlete Day Tuesday, March 31 at the NCAA national office in Indianapolis.</p><p>The student-athletes, along with national office staff, athletics administrators and local youth, will work with Thrive 360, a group that creates nutritious meal packages for malnourished children and their families in Indiana and developing countries. Thrive 360’s overall goal is to help individuals move from starvation to self-sufficiency. The meals will be picked up by Gleaners Food Bank after the community project and provided to families and individuals throughout Indiana. There will also be a professional development activity focusing on social media training for the NCAA student-athletes in the afternoon.</p><p>Speakers for the day include Mark Emmert, NCAA president; Oliver Luck, NCAA executive vice-president for regulatory affairs, who will be the keynote prior to lunch; and Bernard Franklin, executive vice-president for education and community engagement/chief inclusion officer, who will provide closing comments. Franklin oversees the NCAA leadership development group that coordinates the National Student-Athlete Day project at the national office.</p><p>“National Student-Athlete Day is an excellent way to put the spotlight on the great academic and athletic accomplishments of NCAA student-athletes and celebrate the way student-athletes are giving back to their community,” said Franklin. “We enjoy bringing student-athletes to the national office and positively contributing to their overall student-athlete experience.”</p><p>Colleges and universities participating in the National Student-Athlete Day activities include the University of Indianapolis; Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis; Butler University; Anderson University; Earlham College; Franklin College; the University of Evansville; and Indiana University. The student-athletes represent a wide range of academic majors and sports.</p><p>The youth participating in National Student-Athlete Day activities represent the Dream Keepers program, which is linked to the Indianapolis King Kennedy Center. The King Kennedy Center focuses on peace and the civic engagement of youth using examples of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy’s commitment to public service, along with positive character and good sportsmanship ideals. </p><p>National Student-Athlete Day is generally recognized on April 6 nationwide, but is celebrated the end of March throughout the month of April. Student-athletes celebrate National Student-Athlete Day in a variety of ways on or around their college campuses each year, which can include hosting youth clinics, honoring their peers for their academic accomplishments, speaking engagements at elementary and high schools and other local outreach initiatives.</p></div></div></div><div class="field-collection-container clearfix"><div class="field field-name-field-related-people field-type-field-collection field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-related-people clearfix" about="/field-collection/field-related-people/15266" typeof="">
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</div></div></div></div></div><ul class="tags__listing"><li class="tags__item"><a href="/about/resources/media-center/news" class="tags__link">News</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/d1" class="tags__link">Division I</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/d2" class="tags__link">Division II</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/d3" class="tags__link">Division III</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/themes/topics/national-student-athlete-day" class="tags__link">National Student-Athlete Day</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/member-schools/university-indianapolis" class="tags__link">University of Indianapolis</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/member-schools/iupui" class="tags__link">IUPUI</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/member-schools/butler-university" class="tags__link">Butler University</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/member-schools/anderson-ind-university" class="tags__link">Anderson (Ind.) University</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/member-schools/earlham-college" class="tags__link">Earlham College</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/member-schools/franklin-college" class="tags__link">Franklin College</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/member-schools/university-evansville" class="tags__link">University of Evansville</a></li><li class="tags__item"><a href="/member-schools/indiana-university-bloomington" class="tags__link">Indiana University, Bloomington</a></li></ul>Fri, 27 Mar 2015 16:17:13 +0000smeyers@ncaa.org10581 at http://www.ncaa.orghttp://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/college-players-celebrate-national-student-athlete-day#comments